Compassionate and Respectful Coverage

March 21, 2012

Last week (March 5) the people of Emmetsburg High School lost someone very special, teacher Ron Menneke. I would like to thank the staff of the Emmetsburg Democrat for their compassionate and respectful coverage of this tragic event. Too often the news focuses on the more gruesome aspects of an accident, with pictures of the vehicles and detailed descriptions. This would have been devastating to his family and friends. You, instead, opted to picture the flowers left on the roadside by grieving students. You showed tact and delicacy in reporting his death and focused the bulk of the articles on a life well lived. Thank you. Ron was indeed a good man, and I am glad that that is what you chose to emphasize.